Luis Munoz Marin

Luis Munoz Marin (18 February 1898-30 April 1980) was Governor of Puerto Rico from 2 January 1949 to 2 January 1965, succeeding Jesus T. Pinero and preceding Roberto Sanchez Vilella. He was a member of the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico.

Biography
Luis Munoz Marin was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico on 18 February 1898, and he attended Georgetown University from 1912 to 1916 and subsequently worked as secretary to the Puerto Rican resident commissioner in Washington DC from 1916 to 1918. Upon his return to Puerto Rico, he became involved in journalism, and became editor of his father's newspaper, La democracia. Elected to the Puerto Rican Senate in 1932, he founded the Popular Democratic Party in 1939. Originally a strong advocate of independence, he changed his position after the appointment of Rexford Tugwell as governor of Puerto Rico in 1941, whom he supported in his efforts to realize a New Deal programme for housing and economic development. When Puerto Rico gained the right to elect its own governor he won an overwhelming victory. He supported Puerto Rico's new constitutional status as a Commonwealth secured in 1952, though he failed in his efforts to reduce the influence of US capital on the island.